There is an interesting exchange between Samuel and the people of Israel. They have demanded that he crown for them a king. Up until this point, Israel was lead by Moses, then Joshua, then a string of judges who would be raised up in their time of need. Looking around, the people decided they liked…
Honest Scales
Toward the end of Luke 6 we find a set of verses that are often misunderstood. Only the first part of verse 37 is often quoted to deflect criticism, but to do so misses the point of the section. Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive,…
Miss the Spirit for the World
The fourth chapter of Luke has an encounter between Jesus and his hometown. I have heard many messages about this story, but they have often focused on prosperity messages about how his hometown, because they knew him, didn’t have enough faith in him to earn or enable blessings. This could be coming from the lack…
The Primacy of Secondary
Oversimplification It is common, when people are discussing complex ideas, to simplify concepts in order to make them easier to understand. This is helpful and every good teacher needs to be able to do this. The risk in simplifying, however, is that eventually the original context can be lost as the simple concept is repeated…
Flourishing from Fear
There are no end to motivational speakers who will tell you that fear is a killer. It will make you unwilling to take necessary risks, paralyze your decision making, etc… This is often true. However, as I discussed in a previous post, fear of God has the exact opposite affect. It can motivate the best…
The Pain of Purity
Add a Pinch of Jesus The church, especially in America, is often taken with the idea of adding Christ to one’s life. You have the life you’re living. It’s basically comfortable but there are some things that make you sad, anxious, or angry. Maybe you have some addictions you’d like to kick. People may suggest…
Fear of the Lord
One topic that can be found in scripture but can be confusing for many is the idea of fear. Some verses seem to essentially praise fear as a pinnacle of virtue while others condemn fear as unbelief. Revelation 21:8 even lists cowards among those who be cast into the pit of fire! Is it that…
The Lord (as Revealed in Scripture) is One
Old/New Testament God There’s a common misconception that comes up in discussions between believers, even within congregations led by Bible teaching pastors, that undermines the deity of Christ, the immutability of God, and/or the reliability of the Bible. This confusion is often expressed with the terms “Old/New Testament God”. When discussing this supposed divide, people…
Gospels That Aren’t Worth Dirt
Parable of the Soils And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since…
Giving Until It Hurts
Get One Thing Straight Before addressing a problem that we have in modern Christian culture, I want to make sure those reading this don’t use this article as an excuse to not give financially. I recently had a friend recommend I read some writing from Jonathan Edwards on charitable giving and would recommend it to…